Device attachable to player-pianos to bring out the melody of music.



I E. A. TAPPE & H. E. WEAVER. DEVICE ATTACHABLE TO PLAYER PIANOS TO BRING out THE MELODY OF MUSIC.

' APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, 1915. 1,182,330. Patented MgyS), 1916.

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E. A. TAPPE & H. E. WEAVER. DEVICE ATTACHABLE T0 PLAYER PIANOS T0 5mm; OUT THE MELODY OF MUSIC.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3. 1915. I Patented May 9, 1916.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD A. TAPPE AND HARRY E. WEAVER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

DEVICE ATTACHABLE TO PLAYER-PIANOS TO BRING OUT THE MELODY OF MUSIC.

Application filed May 3, 1915.

To all whom it may on0 rm Be it known that we, EDWARD A. TAPPE and I'IARRY E. WEAVER, both citizens of the United States of America, both residing at Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, State of California, haveinvented a certain new and useful Device Attachable to Player-Pianos to Bring Out the Melody of Music; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to pneumaticallyoperated device attachable to player-piano mechanism and adapted to bring out the solo, air, or melody of music; and it may be said to consist in the provision of the novel and advantageous features and in the novel and improved construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, devices, and mechanisms, as will appear from the description and claim which follow hereinafter.

One object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved device which can be readily applied to existing player-pianos without reconstructing or marring the player-pianos, and which can be used or notas may be desired by the operator-to effect the accenting of such of the notes of music as will bring out or render more prominent the solo, air, or melody of the music.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a novel and improved device of the nature specified, which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and install, readily adjustable in use, easily and quickly ren dered operative or inoperative at will, and which is practical and effective for its purpose.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a careful consideration of the following description of preferred forms of construction embodying the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a sectional view of a playerpiano having the invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a broken sectional view showing parts in changed position; Fig. 3 is a broken sectional view showing one of the bellows pneumatics in inflated condition and another in deflated condition; Fig. 4 is a Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1916.

Serial No. 25,860.

broken sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a broken sectional view showing a modified construction; Fig. 6 is a broken view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5; and Fig. '7 is a broken view of another form of construction.

The player-piano may be of the usual or any approved form and construction. The construction of the player-piano 10 shown in the drawings includes the strings 11, hammers 12, rest rail 13 for the hammers, keyboard 14 with keys 15 thereon, piano actions 16 operatively connected to the keys l5 and to the hammers 12, spools 17 for the perforated sheet 18, wind chest 19 for the bellows pneumatics operatively connected with the piano actions 16, tracker bar 20, tubes 21 connected between the tracker bar and the bellows pneumatics, and the treadles 22 operatively connected to the pumping bellows which is connected to the wind conveyance 2 1 which latter is connected with the bellows pneumatics and with the reservoir bellows 25. All of these parts are old and well known and therefore form no part of the invention.

Our improved device is adapted to express and bring out in an effective manner the melody of music, and it can be easily and quickly attached to player-pianos of either old or new construction without ma terial modification of such construction. It consists essentially of pneumatically-operated means which is disposed adjacent to the tracker bar 20 and those of the hammers 12 which are associated with the middle section of keys on the player-piano and which means is adapted to hold those hammore in advanced position between the rail 13 and the strings 11, and move back to the rail such of said hammers as are required to make longer strokes in order to effect the accenting of such of the notes of music as will effectively develop the air of the music.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 41 inclusive which show one form of the device, the accent ing Pneumatics 25 may be of the usual or any approved construction. The frame 26 of said accenting pneumatics has therein the usual passageways, chambers, and valves; and it is preferably mounted on the brackets 27 which extend rearwardly and upwardly from the upper part of the sides 28 of the tracker boX 29. The forward end 30 of the frame 26 is inclined downwardly rearwardly, and the bellows 31 are disposed on the top of the frame 26. Tubes 32.:1-re connected between the. accenting pneumatics 25 and the openings 33 at the ends of the tracker bar 20; because such openings 33 are not of much service in existing playerpianos and the corresponding pneumatics can be cut out in the player-pianos. To the forward upper part of the bellows 31 are suitably secured one end portion of the arms 34 which latter have the other end portion thereof offset to extend downwardly, and have slidably mounted thereon the hammer rests 35 which latter by means of set screws 36 are held in adjusted position at the lower ends of the arms 34. Adjustable contacts 37 on the arms 34 are adapted to strike against a strip 38 of felt on the front end 30 of the frame 26 and thereby govern the rearward throw of the arms 34 so that the advanced position of the hammers 12 can be regulated to the desired extent. A shaft 39 having thereon the finger 40 is preferably mounted on the brackets 27 and also in.

bearings 41 on the inner sides 42 of the piano-player. Any suitable means may be employed to operate the shaft 39, that shown consisting of the arm 43 which is attached to the shaft 39 and is pivotally connected to one end of the rod 44 which latter has its other end pivotally connected to the bell crank 45 which is pivotally mounted on the underside of the keyboard 14 and is pivotally connected to the operating rod 46 having the handle 47 thereon.

In Figs. 5 and 6 is shown a modified construction of the means which is connected to the accenting pneumatics 25 and adapted to hold the hammers 12 in advanced position. Said means consists of the arm 48 having one end suitably attached to the bellows 31 and having the other bifurcated end adjustably fitted between the nuts 49 on the upper portion of the rod 50 which latter has on its lower portion the nuts 51 between which is adj ustably fitted the bifurcated end of a bell crank 52 which is pivotally mounted on the underside of the frame 26 and has on the free end of its downwardly extending arm 52 the hammer rest 53. The action of the bellows 31 may be assisted by a spring 54 which has one end passing freely through a staple 55 on the bellows 31 and has its other end suitably secured to the post 56 which is mounted on one end of the frame 26.

Another modified construction, shown in Fig. 7 of the means which is connected to the accenting pneumatics 25 and adapted to hold the hammer 12 in advanced position, consists of the downwardly extending arm 57 having the hammer rest 58 at its lower end and having its upper end pivotally mounted on the underside of the frame 26 and provided with a threaded socket 59 for the adjusting screw 60 at the lower end of falls back to the rail 13.

the arm 61 which has its upper end portion offset and suitably secured to the bellows 31.

From the foregoing the construction, manner of use, and advantages of the de vice will be understood by those skilled in the art, and it will be seen that it is well adapted to accomplish the objects of the invention. When the use of the device is not desired, the handle 47 is moved rearwardly to thereby move the rod 46, bell crank 45, rod 44, arm 43, and shaft 39, to cause the finger 40 to bear against and deflate the bellows 31, see Fig. 1. By pulling the handle '47 forwardly the finger 40 may be moved out of engagen'ient with the bellows 31 and thereby the latter are inflated and in condi tion for use. As seen in Figs. 4 and 6 the hammer rests 35 and 53 may be of sufiicient length to each hold a plurality of the hammers 12 in advanced position. It will be understood that the particular hammers 12 which are required to strike accented notes are caused to fall back to the rail 13 just prior to the time that the ordinary pianoplayer mechanism actuates such hammers, by reason of perforations in the sheet 18 passing in front of the openings 33 and admitting air to the accenting pneumatics 25 which are associated with such hammers.

The admission of air to any of the accenting pneumatics 25 causes the bellows 31 thereof to collapse and thereby act to move the arm connected therewith so that the hammer After the hammers have been actuated by the ordinary mechanism of the piano-player, the perforations in the sheet 18 have also passed the openings 33 and the collapsed bellows 31 is again inflated by reason of the bellows pump 23 drawing air out of the accenting pneumatics 25 through the tube 62. On inflation of the accenting pneumatics 25 the bellows thereof acts to move the arms connected'therewith to cause movement of the hammers 12 to the advanced position.

The forms of construction which have been particularly illustrated and described admit of minor changes and modificationswherefore the right is reserved to all such changes and modifications as do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claim.

We claim:

The combination with a player-piano inizo said means consisting of rearwardly extending brackets mounted on the upper part of said tracker box, accenting' pneumatics having the frame thereof attached to said brackets, arms operatively connected to the bellows of said accenting pneumatics, hammer rest bars on said arms, tubes connected between the accenting pneumatics and the openings at the end of said tracker bar, and a tube connected between the accenting pneumatics and said bellows pump, said bellows on inflation thereof adapted to move.

said arms and rest bars to move the hammers to position in advance of said rest rail,

and said sheet having perforations adapted to pass in front of the last mentioned 0penings to admit air to the corresponding accenting pneumatics and thereby collapse the bellows of the latter and allow the hammers associated therewith to fall back to said rest 20 EDWARD A. TAPPE. HARRY E. WEAVER.

Copies of thh patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addreuing the Gomnluioner of latente, Washington, D. c." 

